A Rifleman perspires! Err, "persists!"
Colebrook is always a challenging place to shoot - winters that last from October to May, enough wind to keep a wind-turbine power plant happy (literally), and, at least yesterday, unrelenting sunshine to the point that applying sufficient sunscreen to protect yourself wasn't possible. So now, instead of just my usual internal "Appleseed afterglow," I'm enjoying a healthy bronze outside glow as well. Couple that with the usual next-day stiffness, and I could be mistaken for a statue. Hey - it could happen.
We had 14 slots, and nine pre-registered shooters - six from the same family, mind you - and we ended up with 5 walk-on shooters for a SELL OUT!! Always great to see a full line in the cozy confines of the NWCSA pistol range. We had a great crew of instructors, too, as usual for a CT shoot. Huzzahs to both FreedomWon and CaptMac for adhering to the "No Instructor Comes Alone" policy and bringing shooters to the line - they were responsible for our five walk-on shooters - Ron, Allen, Ken, Mike and Lake.
The one disappointment - this was the first NWCSA shoot that I can remember without our beloved Colebrook stalwart, Coke. Look up "persistence" in the dictionary and you'll see Coke's picture. On behalf of the CT crew, I wish Coke a speedy recovery from his recent surgery, and we hope to see you back out there on the right end of the line in your usual spot. We'll keep it warm for you.
Everyone was enthusiastic and attentive, and we engaged our Red Coats promptly at 10AM after the safety briefing. The targets showed that we had some work to do, and we got right to it and started shrinking those groups. The shooters bore up remarkably well as the sun started punishing us - thankfully the humidity stayed low, so it was more of a broiling than a poaching. We finished up the morning with a ball and dummy drill, a little ahead of schedule, and headed into the shade of the shed for burgers and the First Strike.
I was surprised and pleased to see that everyone returned to the line after lunch, and we continued with the program of instruction. We worked on the standing and sitting positions and safe transitions until our "relief column" arrived - my wife with a cooler full of Popsicles and a jug of iced tea. The shooters enthusiastically attacked the supplies, and we listened to CaptMac's rendition of the Second Strike. I'm pretty sure I've never seen any Strike told by someone holding an orange Popsicle, but it was a stirring telling nonetheless, especially with Mac's "boiler-room" vocal skills. Unfortunately, at this point we did lose a couple of shooters - Pat and Charlie needed to go, as well as Ron. I really hope we get to see Ron back on the line soon - he's taken the ultimate Seventh Step and joined the Army, and I'd really like to get him back out where we can get him so time on the AR platform before he hits basic. Hats off to you, Ron, for coming out and for your sacrifice on our behalf.
We finished up the afternoon with AQTs, seeing plenty of potential for future Riflemen. Current Rifleman Chuck nearly requalified with a 208, and we saw plenty of Marksman and Sharpshooter scores. I fully expect to see shooter Charles back for a two-day - that would be the one Charles not related to the other three generations of Charleses(eses) on the line, BTW.
By 5PM the sun had mercifully moved below the treeline, and we were able to have the Third Strike and a benediction out in the fresh air. Appleseed people are good people, so as always, there were plenty of hands pitching in to clean up the range and put everything to rights. And as always, the Appleseed magic seems to have worked - there were plenty of smiles all around, despite the sweat and grit and soreness, and I suspect we'll see a lot of these shooters back for a second chance at the patch.
Sadly, I was too busy most of the day to take many pictures, so I'll rely on the other cameras I saw snapping for some "pix or it didn't happen." In the meantime, I'll take a few days to recover before moving The Log's Appleseed Roadshow on to Lebanon for the July 10th one-day. Still plenty of room on the line...
And persist we did! 'Twas a wonderful seed despite the heat. Did quite a bit of perspiring too I might add ... $$-0
I liked the improved POI. Getting a few RFAQT's in made the day complete for all.